Innovations in the Miniature & Medical Sector

Big Solutions for Miniature Parts

The global medical manufacturing industry is one of the world’s fastest growing industrial sectors. It has accounted for more than 10% of the gross volume of metalworking activities recorded in 2015. The demand for the production of smaller, more intricate, and accurate Medical Industry parts that are often manufactured from difficult-to-machine materials continues to increase.

When referring to Medical Industry Machining, the term encompasses all machining related surgical implants, orthopaedic devices, and medical instruments. The expression also includes small-scale machining and micromachining, as today’s implanted devices often consist of, or include, minute components.

Amongst other difficult to machine advanced materials, titanium is often used in medical devices. This is due to its non-reactivity characteristics associated with the human body.

Small metalworking shops wishing to compete in the challenge of producing medical parts must develop a range of advanced capabilities to meet the specialised demands of the medical industry, especially when involved in small batches and prototype work.

Mindful of the specific requirements of this challenging sector, the creative work and exhaustive field trials undertaken by ISCAR’s advanced R&D department has resulted in the significant expansion of the company’s range of cutting tools associated with the medical industry. In addition to innovative new products, ISCAR’s R&D staff has applied a series of ingenious modifications to existing popular tools to enable the efficient and economical machining of smaller parts.

ISCAR’s expanded range of optimum machining solutions for highly efficient, small scale cutting tools has been made possible by technical progress in several important areas –

-The use of the most suitable base materials.

-The application of advanced metallurgical coatings.

-The development of unique tool geometries.

-The upgrading of ultra-secure clamping systems.

New Grooving and Turning Tool with a Unique Side-Clamping Mechanism

ISCAR’s new GEHSR/L-SL tool family, designed for Swiss-type and screw machines, are an improved version of the previous, popular GEHSR/L screw-clamped tools.

The newly developed, user-friendly insert clamping system enables the secure fastening of inserts by the use of a key from either side of the tool. Following the rapid clamping procedure the torx screw can be used from either side of the tool, while a specially-designed plastic screw blocks the opposite side of the tool preventing chip entry. If indexing is required from the opposite side, the screw can be switched to the opposite side of the tool.

The GEHSR/L-SL tools are now available in 10, 12 and 16 mm shank sizes, which house GEPI and GEMI inserts bearing different chipformer geometries. The inserts range between 2.2 to 3.2 mm widths.

When turning small parts, light cutting parameters are applied. Rather than making use of large inserts, small sized economical inserts are much more appropriate for this kind of machining. The shorter head design of GEHSR\L tools provides higher rigidity and improved machining stability, which enables the application of higher cutting conditions and by doing so, assures enhanced surface finish results.

When using ISCAR’s older generation tool-holders, or other currently available tool-holder types, the tool needs to be removed from the tool gang for insert indexing on small Swiss-type machines. A major advantage is that ISCAR’s inventive new tools enable insert indexing without removing the tool from the turret.

In addition to the above, and available in the same size range, ISCAR also provides the GHSR\L-JHP-SL variant with high-pressure coolant capabilities. The new tools feature 3 independent coolant inlet ports providing suitable machining solutions for different machine configurations.

SWISSCUT INNOVAL

ISCAR has upgraded its SWISSCUT line. The new inserts feature an advanced oval-shaped hole that enables the inclusion of two major improvements.

Within the existing ISCAR range and in all major competitors’ equivalents, different tools and inserts are used for back and front clamping orientations. Whereas in the new improved SWISSCUT INNOVAL line, the same tool and insert can be used in both clamping orientations.

The imaginative new SWISSCUT INNOVAL clamping design uses a special screw that can be accessed and operated from both sides of the tool, enabling inserts to be indexed without the need to fully remove the screw.

When comparing ISCAR’s SWISSCUT, there are similar systems available in the market, in which the clamping screw has to be fully removed for insert indexing. When using these products, the screw can easily fall and be lost.

The advanced new range of SWISSCUT Innoval tools reduce the amount of items needed by half and slashes users’ inventory costs.

The growing demand for high accuracy and increased flexibility in clamping orientation has inspired ISCAR to develop an advanced new range of PICCO holders.

The innovative PICCOACE series features a unique patented clamping system that sets new standards in three highly important areas – accuracy, rigidity and flexibility of clamping orientation.

PICCOACE’s fast action and very secure clamping system increases machining efficiency by saving time when replacing an insert, it ensures rapid indexing and guarantees extremely high clamping repeatability of 0.005 mm.

The currently available wide variety of Swiss-type machines has increased the demand for multi-orientated clamping. Most of the existing available tools provide a single clamping orientation. In contrast ISCAR’s PICCOACE offers a high-quality, universal solution that is suitable for all Swiss-type machines, enabling operators to install and remove an insert from any desired direction.

The new PICCOCUT face grooving range is intended mainly for external / internal and grooving along a shaft.

PICCOCUT has a reinforced geometry that aids efficient deep face grooving and is available in 3, 4 and 5 mm widths, for depths of up to 40 mm and a minimal grooving diameter of 16 mm.

The system’s solid carbide bars have two holes that enable precise coolant delivery to the cutting edge and the frontal flank. When high-pressure coolant (of up to 100 bar) is introduced through the coolant holes, the resulting chips are small and easily pushed out of the groove. Other advantages provided by PICCOCUT’s efficient cooling configuration are a substantial increase in tool life and improved surface finish characteristics.

The new PICCO bars are available in ISCAR’s IC1008 PVD coated grade, which is suitable for machining across a wide range of cutting speeds and on a variety of workpiece materials.

ISCAR’s Expanded MINCUT Line

Following the global success of ISCAR’s MINCUT face grooving family, ISCAR has further expanded its application range with the introduction of inserts for internal grooving, undercutting and threading and solid carbide boring bars.

MIGR 8 internal shallow grooving inserts are available in 0.5 to 2 mm grooving widths, in straight and full radius configurations. MIUR 8 internal, 45° full radius undercutting inserts are available in 1 to 2 mm grooving widths.

All of the new inserts are made from ISCAR’s IC908 PVD coated grade which can be used on a very wide variety of materials and across a range of machining conditions.

The M..R 8.. inserts are screw-clamped into a long pocket of the MIFHR … bars, with very rigid clamping (patent pending). Chip flow on the insert rake is uninterrupted and the tools feature internal coolant holes that are directed to the cutting edge.

MIFHR 8SC-8-8-SRK is a new solid carbide boring bar with 8 mm shank size that offers high rigidity and can also be used on the MG PCO…-6-8 bar holders used for PICCO inserts.

‘Turning’ Efficiency into Profitability

To accommodate small boring diameters, ISCAR has expanded its internal turning application range by introducing new ranges of positive and negative boring tools with steel and solid carbide shank options and new small sized inserts. Each of the new tools feature coolant channels directed precisely to the insert’s cutting edges.

The tools carry new positive (single-sided) ground EPGT and CCGT inserts. EPGT has a 75° geometry for a minimum bore diameter of 4.5 mm and CCGT features an 80° geometry for minimum bore diameter of 5.0 mm. Shank sizes are available in a diameter range of 4 to 7 mm.

Tools for negative (double-sided) inserts Dmin=12 mm carry ground WNGP and DNGP inserts. WNGP has an 80° geometry for a minimum bore diameter of 12 mm and DNGP features a 55° geometry for minimum bore diameter of 13 mm. Shank sizes are available in a diameter range of 10 to 20 mm for forward and back turning operations.

Both insert geometries are available with a new F1P chipformer specially designed for super finishing applications.

New negative, double-sided ground inserts for Dmin=12 mm, WNGP 0403 and DNGP 0703, include F2P and F2M chipformers for steel and stainless steel respectively, were designed for medium range boring diameters.

Drilling for Profit with SUMOCHAM

ISCAR has further expanded its popular SUMOCHAM drilling head options by introducing two major new innovations.

The first revolutionary drilling head geometry features concave cutting edges that substantially enhance the self-centring ability of the drill. The new HPC-IQ drilling heads using up to 12xD long drills, negate the need for a pilot-hole operation and are available in 8–25.7 mm diameters, in 0.5 mm increments.

The advanced, new drilling heads provide a substantial cost reduction by cutting machining cycle times and reducing the number of tools required for drilling operations.

The second SUMOCHAM innovation is the extension of the line’s application range by adding flat face drilling heads.

The new flat face drilling heads are designated FCP and are designed for drilling steel components (ISO P material group). Drilling with the FCP inserts provides a nearly flat bottom in the drilled hole, a feature required across a variety of applications.

Made from IC908 TiAIN PVD coated grade, the FCP drill heads can be mounted on any SUMOCHAM drill that features the appropriate pocket size and the recommended cutting conditions. The FCP drilling heads have the same features and are the same as those recommended for ICP drilling heads.